Man arrested over 'domestic incident' escapes by stealing police car

Published: 2016 November 10 22:56:29 (9000 Views)

A man who was arrested after police were called to a 'domestic related incident' in Turnford, Hertfordshire, managed to jump into the driver's seat of a marked police car and lead officers on an 80 minute chase.

A police helicopter was scrambled as the 33-year-old man led police units through Broxbourne, East Herts and Essex for nearly an hour-and-a-half, finally being arrested again.

The 33-year-old was being held in custody after several police cars were damaged as he was chased over county borders for more than an hour.

Police are investigating the incident, which turned a routine call into an embarrassment.

Superintendent Geoff Camp said: 'The stolen marked car which had blue lights flashing was driven erratically and at one point was driven southbound on the northbound carriageway of the A10. One driver had to take action to avoid a collision and suffered a minor injury.

'A significant number of resources were deployed during the incident with public safety being paramount for officers. Units on the ground were joined by the helicopter in an attempt to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.

'A full investigation to establish the circumstances of what happened is underway and as a matter of course the professional standards unit has been contacted.'